Introduction
Land is an inherently valuable and contentious resource that has long been at the heart of the political conflict, particularly over ownership and use. This unit explores various perspectives on land from three authors’ works, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, John Locke, and Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. Each provides a unique viewpoint on property ownership and use. Their works challenge our assumptions while broadening our perspective regarding how our ancestors interpreted land ownership & usage practices over history.
These authors present varied viewpoints about land and its significance for Indigenous communities and lives. Leanne Betasamosake Simpson emphasizes its significance to Indigenous identities, cultures, and ways of life in her book As We Have Always Done. She asserts that Indigenous people have always maintained strong ties to their environment, which she sees as essential for survival.[1]This connection is strengthened through hunting and fishing gathering. She discusses hunting and fishing gathering as key ways of maintaining this deep relationship to their land while noting hunting, fishing, and gathering practices as integral ways of maintaining that connection as part of maintaining it hence making her case that land transcends physical space itself but becoming part of indigenous worldviews as part of life itself. Simpson challenges the concept of private property as being inimical to Indigenous ways of life and opposing settler-colonial governments using property laws to disencumber Indigenous land from them in favor of an approach known as Stewardshipp wherein Indigenous people have a responsibility to care for the land to ensure its health and wellbeing for future generations[2].
Simpson challenges private property as an incompatible colonial construct that does not suit Indigenous ways of life. She emphasizes how settler-colonial governments have used property laws to dispossess Indigenous people of their lands and resources. Therefore she proposes adopting an Indigenous-led model of stewardship where Indigenous people take care of looking after and maintaining healthy environments for future generations.
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz explores in An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States how dispossession has been central to United States history and how private property introduced by European colonizers have been utilized as a weapon to discriminate and oppress Indigenous populations.[3]. Furthermore, Dunbar-Ortiz discusses ways. Indigenous nations have and continue to resist this dispossession through various strategies such as alliances amongst themselves or even through violent resistance tactics such as alliances among themselves or direct resistance tactics against government authorities.[4].
John Locke offers an alternative viewpoint on land ownership in his Second Treatise of Government. According to him, individuals have the natural right to property based upon labor performed to improve it, and consequently, their right to it is determined by this consideration alone. Locke saw private property as integral in maintaining justice within society as it permits individuals to accumulate wealth while furthering personal interests.[5].
Locke’s ideas have come under scrutiny due to their justification of colonialism and the dispossession of Indigenous lands. Critics contend that Locke’s emphasis on individual rights and the labor theory of property disregards both Indigenous people’s collective rights and interests as well as historical or ongoing processes of colonization or dispossession.[6].
Overall, these authors demonstrate the variety of ways land is understood and valued. Indigenous authors such as Simpson and Dunbar-Ortiz emphasize its spiritual, cultural, and communal importance while challenging colonial notions of private property ownership. Locke emphasizes individual rights while privileging private property within just societies. Awareness of both perspectives is key when engaging in ongoing struggles over land resources in settler-colonial societies.
Conclusion
These authors demonstrate the significance of understanding diverse land ownership and use perspectives. The land is more than simply physical space because it holds spiritual, cultural, and communal meaning for Indigenous peoples and should, therefore, not simply be treated as property owned or used, challenging our assumptions of its use as well as raising concerns for more equitable models of stewardship in general. Acknowledging their complexity is vital when seeking solutions for ongoing resource struggles in settler-colonial societies.
Bibliography
Simpson, Leanne Betasamosake. As we have always done: Indigenous freedom through radical resistance. U of Minnesota Press, 2017.
Locke, John. Locke: Two treatises of government. Cambridge university press, 1967.
Dunbar-Ortiz, Roxanne. An indigenous peoples’ History of the United States. Vol. 3. Beacon Press, 2014.
Daes, Erica-Irene A. “An overview of the history of indigenous peoples: self-determination and the United Nations.” Cambridge Review of International Affairs 21, no. 1 (2008): 7-26.
Ashcraft, Richard. Locke’s two treatises on government. Vol. 17. Routledge, 2013.
[1]Simpson, Leanne Betasamosake. As we have always done: Indigenous freedom through radical resistance. U of Minnesota Press, 2017.
[2]Simpson, Leanne Betasamosake. As we have always done: Indigenous freedom through radical resistance. U of Minnesota Press, 2017.
[3]Dunbar-Ortiz, Roxanne. An indigenous peoples’ History of the United States. Vol. 3. Beacon Press, 2014.
[4]Daes, Erica-Irene A. “An overview of the history of indigenous peoples: self-determination and the United Nations.” Cambridge Review of International Affairs 21, no. 1 (2008): 7-26.
[5]Locke, John. Locke: Two treatises of government. Cambridge university press, 1967.
[6]Ashcraft, Richard. Locke’s two treatises on government. Vol. 17. Routledge, 2013.
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